The short answer
Google Tasks is fine for a simple personal list on Google. When you outgrow it:
- Todoist: the strongest all-round task app, on every device.
- Microsoft To Do: the easy pick if you work in Outlook.
- TickTick: tasks plus a calendar, habits and a focus timer.
- Apple Reminders: the free upgrade if you only use Apple devices.
- SayBriefly: for client work on Mac, Windows and the web. Tasks arrive from your calls and Gmail on one list, timed tasks sit on a calendar synced with Google Calendar, and the agent decides how many reminders a task needs by how serious it is.
We build SayBriefly, so we have a bias. We have tried to keep it out of the way. Google Tasks is a good tool for what it is, and for many people the honest answer is to keep it for life admin and add something else for work. That is the setup we recommend at the end.
What Google Tasks does well
Google Tasks is small on purpose. According to Google's help pages, you can:
Use it everywhere Google is
Gmail, Calendar, Chat, Drive, and Docs, Sheets and Slides in the side panel.
Keep it simple
Lists, tasks, details and subtasks. Nothing more to learn.
See tasks on the calendar
Tasks with a date show in Google Calendar next to your events.
- Due dates and notifications, with a time if you want one.
- Repeating tasks, with a few limits (more below).
- Phone apps for iPhone and Android.
- Turn an email into a task from the Gmail side panel.
From Google's Tasks and Calendar help pages, checked September 2026.
It is free with a Google account and asks nothing of you. For groceries, the dentist and "renew passport", that is a feature.
First: Google reminders moved into Tasks
If you came here looking for the old Google Calendar reminders, they are now Google Tasks. Google moved Calendar and Assistant reminders into Tasks, and its help pages say the move is permanent. Old reminders show up as tasks. So "Google Tasks and reminders" are now the same thing.
Two details that trip people up, both from Google's help pages:
- A task with a date but no time sends its notification at 9 AM.
- Tasks can repeat, but a task with subtasks cannot, and a repeating task cannot have an end time.
We walk through setting and fixing them in Google Calendar reminders. For how reminder apps compare, see reminder app.
Google Tasks on PC, Mac and the web
People search "Google Tasks for PC" and "Google Tasks desktop" a lot, because there is no desktop app. On a computer, Tasks lives inside other Google apps:
- In Gmail: open Gmail in your browser and click the Tasks icon in the right side panel.
- In Google Calendar: tasks with dates show on the grid, and you can create one by choosing Task instead of Event.
- In Docs, Sheets and Slides: the same side panel opens your task lists while you work.
That works, but it means your task list is always a side panel of something else. If you want a list that is its own window, or a list that opens with a keyboard shortcut, you need another app.
Where Google Tasks runs out
1. One reminder, the same for everything
Each task notifies once, at its time. A tax deadline and "water the plants" get the same single nudge. For work that matters, one nudge on the morning it is due is often too late.
2. No priorities, tags or filters
You can star tasks and order lists, but there are no priority levels, labels or saved filters. Past thirty tasks, the list turns into a wall.
3. Nothing arrives by itself
You can turn one email into a task by hand. You cannot have your calls and your client inbox fill the list for you. Every task in Google Tasks exists because you typed it or clicked it in.
4. No desktop app, no sharing
It lives in a side panel on the computer, and lists are personal. Teams and households usually need something else.
A list you have to fill is a list that forgets.
Google Tasks alternatives compared
| App | Platforms | Reminders | Calendar view | Tasks from email | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 SayBriefly | Mac, Windows, web | The agent decides how many by seriousness; in app and by email | Timed tasks on a calendar with Google sync | Yes, from Gmail and calls, with a link back | Client work |
 Google Tasks | Web inside Gmail, Calendar and Docs, iPhone, Android | One notification at the time, 9 AM if no time | Yes, in Google Calendar | You add an email as a task by hand | Simple lists on Google |
 Todoist | iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, web | Automatic for timed tasks; more on paid plans | Calendar layout on paid plans | You add | Power users on every device |
 Microsoft To Do | Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, web | Remind me, due dates, repeats | Through Outlook | Flagged Outlook email | Outlook and Microsoft 365 users |
 TickTick | iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, web | Constant, repeating, email, location on iOS | Yes, built in | You add | Tasks plus habits and focus |
 Apple Reminders | iPhone, iPad, Mac | Time, early reminder, location | Separate Calendar app | You add | Apple-only personal use |
Checked on each vendor's own site and help pages, September 2026.
The Google Tasks alternatives, one by one
1. SayBriefly: tasks that come from your calls and email
SayBriefly starts from a different place. Instead of waiting for you to type tasks in, it fills one to-do list from the places work arrives: client calls (recorded from your computer, no bot joining), Gmail and your projects. Each task keeps a link back to the call or email it came from, so "send the revised quote" still knows which client and which call.
Tasks with a time show up on the calendar, which syncs with Google Calendar and has day, week and month views. For tasks the agent creates, it decides how many reminders to set by how serious the task is: a contract penalty gets a run-up, a quick reply gets a nudge or two, and a reminder you set yourself always wins. Reminders arrive in the app and by email. Plan My Day suggests what to focus on today, and you choose.
Why people pick it
- Tasks from calls and Gmail, linked to their source
- Reminders sized to the stakes
- Calendar, notes, booking links and dictation in the same app
Worth knowing
- No phone app
- Does not sync with Google Tasks itself
- Built for work, not family lists
Pick SayBriefly if your tasks come from client calls and email.
2. Todoist: the all-rounder on every device
Todoist is what most people move to from Google Tasks. It runs everywhere, has priorities, labels and filters, and understands dates you type in plain words. Its help center says tasks with a date and time get an automatic reminder on all plans, while extra and recurring reminders need a paid plan. A calendar layout for seeing tasks by time also comes with paid plans.
Good
- Every device, including Windows and Android
- Priorities, labels and filters
Worth knowing
- The best reminder features are paid
- You still add every task yourself
Pick Todoist if you want a serious personal task manager everywhere.
3. Microsoft To Do: for Outlook people
Microsoft To Do is the closest thing to Google Tasks in the Microsoft world, a bit richer. Its support pages list Remind me, due dates, repeats from daily to custom, and plain-language dates. Flagged Outlook emails show up as tasks. If your job runs on Microsoft 365, it is the natural switch.
Pick Microsoft To Do if work runs in Outlook.
4. TickTick: tasks, calendar, habits and focus
TickTick packs more into one app than anything else here. Its site lists constant reminders that keep alerting until you finish, repeating reminders, email reminders, location alerts on iOS, a built-in calendar, a habit tracker and a pomodoro timer. Great if you want one personal planning app across an iPhone and a Windows PC.
Pick TickTick if you want tasks, habits and focus in one personal app.
5. Apple Reminders: the free upgrade on Apple devices
If you have left Android, Apple Reminders does everything Google Tasks does and more: early reminders, location alerts, tags, smart lists, subtasks, grocery lists and Siri. It does not run on Windows or Android. More in our Apple Reminders guide.
Pick Apple Reminders if you are all in on Apple.
A worked week: Google Tasks vs a list that fills itself
Priya runs a two-person marketing studio in Leeds. Monday to Wednesday she has five client calls and gets about sixty emails. Here is how Monday's tasks end up in Google Tasks:
Three tasks, all typed from memory at 6 PM. What is missing: the Oakline client also asked on the call for two extra ad sizes. A Harbor email at 4 PM asked her to confirm the launch date by Tuesday noon. Neither made it to the list, because both arrived while she was busy. The invoice will remind her once, at 9 AM on Friday, the day it is due.
The same Monday in SayBriefly:
An example with made up names. Real tasks only come from what was said or written.
Same Priya, same day. The difference is the two tasks she never had to remember, each with a link back to the call or email, and a run-up for the invoice instead of one ping. That is the whole case for a different app. If your tasks do not arrive through calls and email, Todoist or TickTick will serve you better.
A task list layout that works in any app
Whatever you pick, this structure keeps a list usable past fifty tasks. Copy it into Google Tasks, Todoist or anything else.
TODAY (3 max) [ ] The one thing that makes today good [ ] Second priority [ ] Third, only if the first two are done THIS WEEK [ ] Task · client or project · due day WAITING ON [ ] What · who · asked on (date) SOMEDAY [ ] Ideas you are not doing yet RULES - Start every task with a verb - Put the client or project in the title - Anything with money or a contract gets a reminder the day before
The "waiting on" list is the one people forget. It is where "asked Tom for the logo files" goes, so you chase it on Thursday instead of discovering it on Friday. For more on this, see to-do list template and to-do list planner.
Common Google Tasks mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Dates with no time, then wondering why it pinged at 9 AM. | Add a time to anything that matters. |
| Adding subtasks to a repeating task. | Google does not allow it. Split it into two tasks. |
| One reminder for a serious deadline. | Add a second task a few days earlier, or use an app with more reminders. |
| Tasks with no client in the title. | "Send quote" becomes "Send Harbor the quote". |
| Using one list for life and work. | Separate lists, or separate apps. |
Moving off Google Tasks without losing anything
- Split life from work. Decide what stays in Google Tasks. Errands and home reminders can stay on your phone.
- Check for an importer. Some task apps import from Google Tasks. Look in the new app's help center.
- Copy only the open tasks. Leave the done ones behind. Delete anything older than three months that you have not touched.
- Connect your calendar. Most alternatives can show Google Calendar. SayBriefly syncs with it directly.
- Give it two weeks. Check the new list every morning. If you are back in Google Tasks by day ten, the new app was the wrong one.
How to choose a Google Tasks alternative
| Your situation | Our pick |
|---|---|
| Want a stronger list on every device | Todoist |
| Work in Outlook | Microsoft To Do |
| Want habits and a focus timer too | TickTick |
| Only use Apple devices | Apple Reminders |
| Tasks come from client calls and email | SayBriefly |
| Just need a simple list on Google | Stay with Google Tasks |
Related: the SayBriefly to-do list, calendar to-do list, task tracker app, calendar app and pomodoro timer.
Questions people ask about Google Tasks alternatives
What is the best Google Tasks alternative?
Todoist or TickTick if you want a stronger task app on every device, Microsoft To Do if you work in Outlook, Apple Reminders if you only use Apple devices, and SayBriefly if your tasks come from client calls and email and you work on a Mac or Windows PC.
Is there a Google Tasks app for PC?
Google does not make a Windows or Mac app for Tasks. On a computer you use Tasks inside Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive and Docs, Sheets and Slides, in the side panel. Apps like Todoist, TickTick, Microsoft To Do and SayBriefly have desktop apps.
How do I open Google Tasks on the web?
Open Gmail or Google Calendar in your browser and click the Tasks icon in the side panel. Google's help pages also describe Tasks inside Google Calendar as the main place to see your tasks with dates.
Did Google Calendar reminders become Google Tasks?
Yes. Google moved Calendar and Assistant reminders into Google Tasks, and its help pages say the move is permanent. Your old reminders show up as tasks. Our Google Calendar reminders guide covers it step by step.
How do Google Tasks reminders work?
A task with a date and time sends a notification at that time. Google says tasks with a date but no time notify at 9 AM. You get one notification per task, not a run-up.
Can Google Tasks repeat?
Yes. Google says tasks can repeat, but tasks with subtasks cannot repeat, and repeating tasks cannot have an end time.
Does Google Tasks show on Google Calendar?
Yes. Tasks with a date show on Google Calendar, and you can create a task straight from the calendar by choosing Task instead of Event.
Can I share a Google Tasks list?
Google Tasks is built for personal lists. For shared lists, Todoist, TickTick and Microsoft To Do all support sharing. SayBriefly has project boards for client work but no shared family lists.
Is Google Tasks good enough?
For a simple personal list tied to Gmail and Calendar, yes. It gets thin when you need priorities, tags, several reminders for important things, or tasks that come from calls and email automatically.
Does SayBriefly sync with Google Tasks?
No. SayBriefly syncs with Google Calendar, not Google Tasks. Its own to-do list is filled from your calls, Gmail and projects, and tasks with a time show on the calendar.
How does SayBriefly decide reminders?
For tasks its agent creates, the agent judges how serious the task is. A contract penalty might get reminders a week before, three days before, the day before and on the morning. A quick reply gets one or two. A reminder you set yourself always wins.
Does SayBriefly have a phone app?
No. SayBriefly runs on Mac, Windows and the web. Keep Google Tasks or Apple Reminders on your phone for errands, and use SayBriefly at your desk for work.
Can I move my Google Tasks to another app?
Some apps import from Google Tasks, so check the new app's help center. Otherwise, a short list is quickest to copy by hand, and it is a good moment to delete what you will never do.
